I Can Fix My Talent in Hundred Lives-Chapter 398 - 325: New Rules
When the cultivators participating in the contest stepped through the light gate at the base of the Jiuli Tower, gentle starlight immediately shimmered beneath their feet.
Before everyone could take in the scene inside the tower, a vast power of space swept over them, with flashes of light and shadow flickering before their eyes, and the sensation of weightlessness vanishing in an instant.
Chen Sheng felt the star power lightly enveloping him, and when he regained his balance, he found himself in an unfamiliar space, with Chen Xihua and Miao Shan already nowhere in sight.
Clearly, as soon as everyone entered the tower, they were randomly teleported to different levels among the ninety-nine floors.
"The thirty-third floor, is it?"
Raising his eyes, Chen Sheng saw an illusionary star hanging overhead, engraved with the floor number, radiating a clear and cold starlight that illuminated the entire level.
This floor was far more expansive than imagined, with a star stone surface beneath his feet as smooth as a mirror, extending to the horizon.
All around was a hazy star fog, within which faint runes floated, clearly a meticulously constructed microcosm of heaven and earth.
The air was filled with a rich star power, which, when inhaled into the body, nourished the primordial spirit, causing him to inwardly marvel at the handiwork of the Integration Dharma Master.
However, this sense of wonder was quickly replaced by confusion.
Chen Sheng slightly raised his brow, scanning the crowd gathered around him—among the tens of thousands of participating cultivators, more than five hundred had been allocated to this floor.
These cultivators, dressed in various Daoist robes and hailing from different regions, were currently grouped in threes and twos, their faces full of bewilderment and confusion, their voices of discussion rising and falling.
A cultivator in a blue robe, holding a folding fan, frowned and spoke with a tone of puzzlement:
"What’s going on? Wasn’t the mansion competition supposed to involve first breaking into the tower and breaking the formation?"
"Weren’t previous competitions about progressing through levels to do an initial screening, and finally selecting the top hundred to compete on the top floor?"
The purple-robed cultivator beside him nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying:
"Yes, that’s right! I specifically researched the records of past competitions. The tower challenge evaluated the cultivator’s overall combat strength and adaptability, so how come we were sent directly to this floor this year without even seeing the tower gate?"
Many cultivators around them responded, indicating that everyone was equally clueless about the current situation.
Hearing these discussions, Chen Sheng felt slightly reassured—it seemed he was not the only one unclear about the situation.
He focused on perceiving his surroundings, noting the varied auras of the more than five hundred cultivators. Most were of mid-stage Divinity Transformation cultivation, with fewer than fifty at late-stage Divinity Transformation, and only a handful at the perfection realm.
Just as doubts arose in everyone’s hearts and the noise grew louder, the star fog in the distance suddenly surged, and a light gate as high as a dozen feet opened.
Twelve cultivators in black armor emerged, the armor engraved with the Antarctic Immortal Mansion’s star emblem. Holding long spears, they stepped in unison, instantly forming two rows in front of the light gate, exuding an aura of murderous intent.
These black-armored cultivators were all at the Divinity Transformation level, with refined auras, clearly soldiers sent by the Immortal Mansion to maintain order.
The leader was a tall Black Armor Commander, with a silver star medal embedded on his shoulder armor, exuding the pressure of Divinity Transformation Perfection. As his gaze swept over the crowd, the noisy discussions immediately quieted.
He stepped forward, his voice loud and resonant like a bell: "There’s no need to panic, this time for the mansion competition, all thirteen mansions in Yun State have changed the competition method."
"All thirteen mansions in Yun State have changed?"
Gasping sounds arose from the crowd, and many cultivators suddenly understood.
Someone muttered, "I remember, five thousand years ago, the Integration Dharma Master overseeing Yun State was replaced by the Nine Refining Dharma Master. It seems the new State Lord has changed the mansion competition rules since taking office."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding cultivators all nodded, some of the confusion on their faces dispersing, replaced by curiosity.
An impatient cultivator quickly asked loudly, immediately garnering the crowd’s agreement:
"Commander, what is the new competition method?"
"Yes, please let us know, Commander!"
The Black Armor Commander, however, waved his hand, his tone calm:
"Please, everyone, be patient. Once all the cultivators from each floor have arrived, someone will explain the rules to you in detail."
"Until then, please maintain order and do not engage in any private combat, violators will be disqualified from the competition."
These words made the cultivators somewhat uneasy, and whispers started again.
The unknown competition method meant previous preparations could possibly go to waste, especially those cultivators who relied on their tower-crushing skills to win— their expressions were particularly unpleasant.
However, there were a few who remained calm and composed, and Chen Sheng was one of them.
No matter how the rules change, strength is the essence. His Path of Yin Yang Annihilation Sword had long since become extraordinary, capable of withstanding any challenge.
Elsewhere on different floors, Chen Xihua was leaning against a star stone pillar, playing with the Sky-Splitting Sword in his hand, the gray-green void spiritual power swirling at his fingertips, his expression serene.
On the ninety-third floor, Venerable Wuyue sat cross-legged, eyes closed, the space rune at his brow faintly flashing, taking the opportunity to absorb the star power within the tower to hone the Dao Principle.
Like Chen Sheng, they were also curious about the new rules, yet not a trace of panic showed, clearly having confidence in their own strength.
...
As the cultivators on each level endured their unease while waiting, a blazing golden light almost simultaneously illuminated each of the ninety-nine tower floors.
The golden light coalesced at the center of each level, forming a golden armored figure—General Tu Lie.
Though his projection lacked physical form, it emanated a pressure identical to his true body. As his gaze swept across the cultivators on each level, his voice reached every corner, clear and heavy:
"All participating cultivators, listen calmly to the assessment rules for this mansion competition."
All the cultivators instantly fell silent, even their breathing intentionally lightened.
The light and shadow of General Tu Lie raised a hand and pressed the air, causing subtle ripples to spread through each layer of space. Then, he spoke in a deep voice:
"For this assessment, there is no need to climb the tower, no need for direct battles. You only need to fight against one Nine Refinement Daoist Soldier. The final result will be ranked by the duration one can persist."
"If you can defeat the Daoist Soldier, you will be judged by how long it took. After the assessment, the top one thousand will directly advance to the state competition, with no subsequent pairwise duels."
"What? Only fight with the Daoist Soldier?"
In the crowd on the thirty-third floor, someone immediately exclaimed.
Chen Sheng also slightly raised an eyebrow. He had anticipated multiple assessment methods but didn’t expect to face the Daoist Soldiers.
As soon as he finished speaking, the light and shadow of General Tu Lie tapped a finger.
The Star Power in every layer of space boiled suddenly, countless broken starlights gathered like swimming fish, intertwining in front of him to form a Void Realm.
Golden runes intertwined at the edge of the realm, with clouds and mist churning inside, faint traces of the Heaven and Earth Laws could be seen.
Next, a figure in a red robe slowly emerged from the mist, sitting cross-legged at the center of the small realm—that was the Nine Refinement Daoist Soldier.
It was dressed in a red robe embroidered with flame patterns, its face antiquated like stone, hands clasped in an obscure Dharma Seal, its aura as steady as a sleeping mountain.
...
Outside the tower, the audience boiled over.
Ninety-nine crystal clear screens floated in front of the viewing platform, each displaying a scene from a layer of the tower, allowing viewers to clearly see the dynamics of each level.
When General Tu Lie announced the rules, the cultivators in front of the screens immediately stirred:
"What’s going on? Only fighting Daoist Soldiers? Then why are we even watching these prodigies’ magical combat!"
An elderly man with white hair stroked his beard, full of disappointment:
"The most exciting part of past mansion competitions was the showdown between top prodigies, the crossing of Sword Light and collision of Dao Principles, how thrilling! Now it’s just watching people endure or hack at Daoist Soldiers, not exciting at all!"
The young cultivator next to him also nodded repeatedly, staring at the unremarkable red-robed Daoist Soldier on the screen, speaking dejectedly:
"Exactly! This rule is really too disappointing!"
Voices of discontent spread throughout the audience, many lamenting the missed duels between cultivators.
Within the Observatory Hall at the peak of Jiuli Tower, Refining Void Great Powers exchanged glances.
The Fire Cloud Ascendant set down his teacup, a hint of surprise in his eyes:
"Nine Refinement Daoist Soldiers... these are personally refined by the Nine Refining Dharma Master, each one extraordinary, not weaker than the Inner Sect Disciples of the Three Sects."
"The Dharma Master intends to instantly screen out those truly resilient, it truly is decisive!"
The blue-robed Great Power beside him nodded in agreement:
"In past mansion competitions, from preliminary selection to final, it could last at least half a year, pulling a year for stubborn opponents was not unusual."
"Now with these rules, victory can be determined in a single day, it is indeed efficient."
Mansion Master Bai and General Tu Lie’s true bodies sat in golden seats, remaining silent.
Honestly, they didn’t know the thoughts of the Nine Refining Dharma Master either. Such a grand event, quicker is not necessarily better, rather it is better held slowly, able to screen more surprises.
For the audience, it is also more welcoming.
The commotion on each level had not died down when the light and shadow of General Tu Lie spoke again:
"Each Daoist Soldier’s combat strength is fixed, you may do your best."
He paused, his giant axe gently resting on his shoulder, the star light in each layer of space trembling with it:
"Next comes drawing lots for the assessment order—the star lights in the sky are your lots, each according to their fate, when the star light enters your palm, you’ll know the order."
Just as the words fell, the star mist on the thirty-third level suddenly surged, countless rice-grain-sized star lights floated out of the mist, dancing among the cultivators like fireflies.
These star lights carried a faint spirituality, avoiding the cultivators’ deliberate grasping, randomly flying towards different individuals.
Chen Sheng stood on the edge of the crowd, watching the star lights shuttle past him.
Moments later, a faint blue star light slowly landed in his palm, dissolving on contact, transforming into a jade-white number, clearly imprinted on the back of his hand—"Three hundred and ninety-nine."
Chen Sheng glanced down, nodding slightly.
There were over five hundred cultivators on this level, placing number three hundred and ninety-nine towards the back, conveniently allowing him to first observe how the preceding cultivators dealt with the Daoist Soldiers.
Simultaneously, other cultivators also checked their lot numbers.
Some drew numbers within the top ten, their faces pale, nervously clenching their fists, while others drew numbers near the end, like Chen Sheng, calm and even beginning to observe the Daoist Soldier’s movements in the small realm.
Others, having drawn numbers in the middle range, were whispering to those beside them, speculating on the Daoist Soldier’s attack method.
Meanwhile, the cultivators on the viewing platform gradually calmed down from their disappointment, their eyes fixed tightly on the screen as the first assessment was about to begin, secretly pondering:
What kind of power does this Nine Refinement Daoist Soldier truly possess?
